Thousands of cancer patients in Scotland have waited longer than two months to start treatment in the last five years, shock figures reveal.
Tayside and Fife health boards both missed the legal standard for cancer waiting times, according to figures published by the Scottish Government on Tuesday.
The situation was branded “completely unacceptable” by Miles Briggs, the Scottish Conservative MSP.
In Tayside and Scotland, 87.1% of patients were seen within the 62-day target in the last three months of 2017, compared with 92.8% in Fife.
The minimum standard is for 95% to be start treatment within that timeframe, which only four health boards achieved.
Analysis by Macmillan Cancer Support found that 5,509 patients in Scotland waited more than two months to start treatment since 2013.
Gordon McLean, from the charity, said: “It’s now five years since cancer waiting times were met. “That’s five years of people who are waiting to start cancer treatment facing unnecessary stress and anxiety.
“The NHS failing to meet these targets is a clear sign that it’s struggling. NHS staff work extremely hard, but they can’t make up for an outdated system.”
Gavin Main, associate medical director at NHS Tayside, said meeting the target is challenging when some patients “require a series of major investigations to ensure correct treatment”.
“Our cancer teams work extremely hard ensuring every patient is tracked through each stage of their journey,” he added.
“By doing this, we can intervene or escalate cases immediately if there appears to be any delay in treatment and we will always work to minimise factors producing delays.”
Health Secretary Shona Robison said the government is also launching an obesity strategy and an anti-smoking campaign, which are major causes of cancer.
“The Scottish Government is committed to beating cancer, investing more than £100m in our cancer strategy which is focused on improving the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of those affected by the disease, including £5m to improve cancer waiting times across Scotland,” she added.
